El Al Will Resume Moscow Flights In May
Israeli flag carrier El Al will resume flights to Moscow in May after suspending flights to the Russian Federation in late 2024.
El Al Will Resume Tel Aviv – Moscow Flights On May 1, 2025
El Al halted flights to Moscow in December 2024 after an Azerbaijan Airlines jet was shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile on Christmas Day. The Azerbaijan Airlines jet was traveling to Grozny, in southern Russia via the Capsian sea when it was shot by Russia, prompting an emergency diversion to Aktau, Kazakhstan. The attack, blamed on Russia’s Pantsir-S air-defense system, killed 38 onboard.
But after determining that the airspace was once again safe, El Al will resume flights to Moscow on May 1, 2025. The flights will operate daily between Tel Aviv (TLV) and Vnukovo International Airport (VKO).
When it comes to Russia, Israel likes to have its cake and eat it too. It counts the USA as its strongest ally and has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and sent humanitarian aid to Kyiv. But Israel did not join its allies in adding sanctions against Russia, seeking to “balance relations” with Kyiv and Moscow.
El Al has continued service to VKO during the conflict, suspending flights four months ago only due to safety concerns, not due to political pressures. It sees a commercial reason to resume flights:
“The resumption of flights to Moscow reflects … part of El Al’s ongoing efforts to expand its destination network and provide passengers with access to important flight routes.”
There’s also a cultural link between Israel and Russia, with over 1 million people (about 15% of Israel’s population) speaking Russian (and many holding onto Russian citizenship).
While Aeroflot Russian Airlines is not currently flying to Tel Aviv, Russian carrier Red Wings does.
CONCLUSION
El Al will resume flights to Moscow next month, offering daily service to the Russian capital. Israel voices support for Ukraine but has refused to exert economic pressure on Russia via sanctions or flight restrictions. Flying via Tel Aviv will be one of the only ways to reach Russia on a “Western” carrier.